The RTA: Past, Present, & Future - Capitol Connection webinar

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan may have formed in 2012, but for its first chairman, Paul Hillegonds, the work began in the 1980s.

Back then, Hillegonds—then a Republican Michigan Representative—was thick in efforts to bring public transportation to southeast Michigan. Deep in its urban core, Detroiters wanted a subway system to get them where they needed to be. But out in Metro Detroit's suburban rings, people wanted money allocated across the region. The federal funding was there, but the lack of consensus caused things to crumble.

If there was one positive takeaway, though, it was that Michiganders wanted public transportation. For over 40 years, up until his recent retirement, Hillegonds has worked to make those wants realized across Metro Detroit through the RTA.

In our Capitol Connection webinar, Hillegonds will speak about the past, present, and future of mass transit in Michigan's population center. He'll be joined by Michigan Environmental Council President CEO Conan Smith, whose own experiences have been deeply tied to transit, and Julia Roberts, RTA planning and innovation director. Together, they'll discuss what went right and what's gone wrong. They'll also look toward the future as the Regional Transit Authority's guard changes and transit investments increase.